Designed by a Mr Stearman with help from Messrs Beech and Cessna, the Travel Air 2000 (1925 to 1930) had a 90 hp Curtiss OX-5 engine. In 1927 this one was the first pilot school aircraft owned by Parks Air Lines. St Louis based Parks Air College used the name Parks Air Lines for a flight school and aircraft manufacturing operation at KSTL. The name Parks Airport on the sign just visible to the left is presumably for publicity purposes. In this seemingly staged photo a student may be getting his license signed off by a Dept of Commerce examiner after surviving some figure-eights, a dead stick landing and three touch-and-goes.

The Parks P-2 was powered by a 150 hp Axelson-Floco B engine and was designed and built at the St Louis based Parks Air College circa 1929. It was cancelled by the FAA on 13 August 1931. Parks used the name Parks Air Lines for a flight school, aircraft manufacturing operations and presumably displayed the name Parks Airport prominently on the hangar roof (background) at KSTL for publicity.

President Truman flying over flooded area. Note improper serial presentation on the presidential aircraft - the tail number should read 6505 according to the rules. Photo from: George Skadding / Life

Still registered at the time of upload.

Another picture of the first DC-2, this time in Kansas City with the Intercity Viaduct in the background. TWA abandoned its slogan 'The Lindbergh Line' in late 1938, and replaced it with 'The Transcontinental Line' titles. The two red tail stripes were introduced earlier. Photo from: Jackson County Historical Society

It looks like Stratoliner NC19907 was photographed after it was returned to TWA by the USAAF. The fleet of five aircraft was refurbished for $2 million by Boeing according to Wikipedia. They served with TWA until 1951. Photo from: Jackson County Historical Society

Date 'circa 1938': two DC-2s and two DC-3B Sky Sleepers, with NC17313 on the right, at TWA's Kansas headquarters. Another photos confirms registration NC17317 for fleet number 355. It was delivered in June 1937. The photo was probably taken not long thereafter. NC17317 was impressed as a C-49F, 42-56621. She collided with an impressed DST, ex NC18104 of United, over Camp Williams, Wisconsin on 24 June 1942. The DST survived. Photo from: SFO Museum

TWA had its headquarters in Kansas City. This is Hangar 1 at KMKC, now home to the TWA Museum. Maintenance moved to the B-25 plant in Fairfax, across the Missouri River, after WWII, but a flood destroyed that and the Kansas City Overhaul Base was built adjacent to what became Kansas City International Airport (KMCI). Here we see two DC-3B Sky Sleepers, the second being NC17317. They were delivered in mid-1937 and do not yet wear the slogan 'The Lindbergh Line' which disappeared again from late 1938. Photo from: SFO Museum

Currently registered to Central Airlines, trading as Central Air Southwest, which operates 30 Aero Commander 500B/Us. It has several bases including one at Mosby.

This Breguet 941 was tested as the McDonnell Douglas 188 STOL airliner by Eastern Air Lines in 1968 and by American in the spring of 1969. Oddly it never carried a US registration and operated under its type-based French military serial number 2. It is interesting to note that this was a McDonnell and not a Douglas project, even though McDonnell felt more at home building fighters. Taken at the McDonnell factory at Lambert Field, this is assumed to be a McDonnell Douglas photo.

Despite its fighter designation, the F2W was a dedicated racing aircraft. The manufacturer's designation was apparently Wright TX. It was powered by a Wright T-3 Tornado engine, cooled by wing surface radiators, and reportedy achieved 398.5 km/h (247.7 mph). In the 1923 Pullitzer Trophy race, the two red F2Ws took third and fourth place behind the Curtiss R2C racers also entered by the US Navy. The four planes are seen together in photo 648891. A-6743 / 8 ran out of fuel and crashed after finishing just before A-6744 / 7, which reportedly had greater fuel capacity. A-6744 was converted to F2W-2 floatplane but crashed on its first flight as such. Photo from: Museum of Flight

Air racing rivalry between the US Army and Navy did stimulate technological progress. The R-3 was one of the first aircraft with fully retractable main landing gear. It was designed at the Engineering Division of the USAAS by Alfred Verville and manufactured by the Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company. Powered by the inferior Wright H-3 engine, the three R-3s built were unsuccessful in the 1922 Pulitzer Trophy race. 22-328 is seen here at the 1923 race, which it did not finish. This plane had received a Curtiss D-12 engine and managed a FAI speed record over 500 km in March 1923. It won the 1924 Pulitzer race, but that edition was less competitive. Photo from: Museum of Flight

Four US Navy entries dominated the Pulitzer Trophy race at the 1923 National Air Races, brought to you by Purina Chows (animal feeds). From left to right, the two Curtiss R2Cs and the two red Wright F2Ws came second, first, third and fourth, although Lt 'Sandy' Sanderson ran out of fuel and wrecked his Wright, A-6743 / 8, just short of the landing field. Photo from: Museum of Flight

Seeking revenge for its defeat in the 1922 Pulitzer Trophy race, the US Navy successfully procured a new Curtiss racer. A-6692 / 9, flown by Lt Alford Williams, won the 1923 edition and Lt Harold Brow in A-6691 / 10 came second. Both pilots also broke the absolute world speed record, with Williams bringing it to 429 km/h (267 mph). A-6692 was fitted with floats for the cancelled 1924 Schneider Trophy race. A-6691 was sold to the US Army for a sporty $1 to become the Curtiss R-8, serial 23-1235. Photo from: Museum of Flight

From a photo by Bob Evans(Brisbane, QLD) Damaged in accident near Belmont(WV) during external load operation when tail rotor separted from a/c. Load jettisoned and the helicopter landed safely, though with damage(info' courtesy of Aviation Safety Network) Must have been repaired okay as now with J.H. Helicopter Services. New type?

Unknown photographer - on back of picture - '10338 T-38A ATC Richards Gebaur.' No date. Delivered around 1966. Later converted to a T-38C and noted in 1990 with the 87th FTS coded XL. Last noted Mar 2022. believed still current.